Police clear Lisbon and Porto housing protest camps, dozens hurt
Portuguese police dismantled tent camps in Lisbon and Porto before dawn on Sunday, arresting 31 people, with both sides reporting dozens injured in the clashes.
Portuguese police broke up two housing-protest camps in Lisbon and Porto before dawn on Sunday, arresting 31 people and leaving dozens injured, according to police and protest organisers, who gave sharply different casualty figures for the overnight operation.
The Public Security Police (PSP) said officers moved in overnight after protesters ignored repeated warnings to remove tents from Rossio Square in Lisbon and Praça D. João I in Porto. The force said 11 people were injured, including 3 officers, one of whom was bitten by a protester's dog.
Protest organisers gave far higher figures. A spokeswoman for the Porto camp told news agency Lusa that 37 people suffered minor injuries there, while the Lisbon movement said more than 20 people were taken to hospital and others treated at the scene, alleging that police used dogs and rubber bullets to pursue demonstrators through the streets.
Police said 25 people were arrested in Lisbon and 6 in Porto, all for disobedience; all were released the same morning and are due in court on Monday. Officers seized 171 tents and camping structures across both cities, along with a pyrotechnic device and several cans of paint found on one detained protester in Porto.
It was the third time in just over a week that police have cleared the same encampments, set up by the Acampada movement to protest against Portugal's housing crisis, where the central bank estimates a shortfall of 300,000 homes nationwide.
PSP spokesman Sérgio Soares said officers first tried more than two hours of dialogue before intervening, citing unauthorised camping structures and public-order concerns. Protest spokesman João Veloso rejected the police account, accusing officers of arresting people while they slept and of inflicting head injuries and broken arms during the operation.
Protesters have vowed to keep returning to both squares despite the repeated clearances, organisers said, and tents were reported back on the streets of Porto within hours of the clearance.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · in.gr, Notícias ao Minuto +4 Police cleared housing-protest camps in Lisbon and Porto in a joint overnight operation on Sunday.
- 1 outlet · Correio da Manhã 31 people were arrested for disobedience and later released; all are due in court Monday.
- Official · PSP PSP said 11 people were hurt, including 3 officers; organisers said dozens more were injured.
- 1 outlet · Notícias ao Minuto Officers seized 171 tents across both cities.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed Organisers' claim that rubber bullets and dogs were used to pursue protesters through the streets, which goes beyond the police account.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
Portugal is facing one of Europe's most acute housing crises, with rents for new leases having nearly doubled since 2017, and the repeated police clearances of these camps have become a flashpoint in a protest movement that has already spread to other European cities.
Sources
Reported by 17 reports from 14 independent outlets in 5 countries.
- in.gr: Νύχτα έντασης στην Πορτογαλία: Άγρια επίθεση της αστυνομίας σε κατασκήνωση διαδηλωτών στη Λισαβόνα
- Notícias ao Minuto: PSP diz que há 11 feridos nas intervenções policiais em Lisboa e no Porto
- Correio da Manhã: 31 detidos e 11 feridos durante protestos pela habitao em Lisboa e no Porto
- Portugal Resident: Dozens injured as police clear protest camps in Lisbon and Porto
- Le Quotidien: Portugal : nouvelle évacuation de campements pour le logement par la police
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- How many people were arrested in Lisbon and Porto?
- 31 people were arrested for disobedience, 25 in Lisbon and 6 in Porto; all were released the same morning.
- How many people were injured?
- Police said 11 were hurt, including 3 officers, while protest organisers reported dozens more injuries.
- Why were the camps cleared?
- Police said protesters had ignored repeated warnings to remove unauthorised tents from Rossio Square and Praça D. João I.
This article was written with AI assistance from 22 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.